Wait, Bobby Valentine got fired? I don't think anyone could have seen that coming.
There is much work to do this off-season, but the first and most obvious piece of business was taken care of early yesterday as Bobby Valentine was relieved of his duties as Red Sox manager. Maybe, in theory, you could make the case that Valentine was a good fit for the position a year ago upon his hiring, but now we can all see it for what it was: a huge mistake. (Chad Finn; Boston.com)
The GM, Ben Cherington and the team president, Larry Lucchino, delivered the news to Valentine early in the day. Here's what they had to say about the meeting, Valentine, and the state of the team after his dismissal. (Alex Speier; WEEI.com)
Valentine's firing means for the second time in two years the team must stat the off-season by searching for a new manager. What attributes is the team looking for? (Tim Britton; The Providence Journal)
Ever since the idea was floated months ago that the Red Sox might be in the hunt for a new manager this off-season, John Farrell's name has come up. Now that the search is official, Farrell appears to be the leading candidate. (Bob Nightengale; USA Today)
Hardball Talk's Matthew Pouliot thinks the Red Sox can and should do better than Farrell for their next manager (Matthew Pouliot; Hardball Talk) and suggests former Astro and native New Englander Brad Ausmus for the position. (Matthew Pouliot; Hardball Talk)
Adam Dunn has had a crazy weird season on the surface, but the details are much much stranger. Jason Wojciechowski takes a look. (Jason Wojciechowski; Baseball Prospectus)
When you look back at his other managerial stints, Bobby Valentine has a track record. Sam Page looks at the seven stages of a Bobby Valentine meltdown. (Sam Page; Deadspin)
Lost in the Bobby Valentine fervor was that the Red Sox officially completed their Mega-Trade with the Dodgers and acquired pitcher Rubby De La Rosa and outfielder/first baseman Jerry Sands. (Peter Abraham; Boston.com)
Will someone please buy Curt Schilling's dirty sock? (Grant Brisbee; Baseball Nation)
What is it like to cover a baseball team every day on every level, producing content on every platform? It's pretty crazy, that's for sure. It's also other things too. The great Will Leitch gets into it with Derrick Goold, baseball writer for the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. (Will Leitch; Sports on Earth)
Finally, even though most of us are probably feeling pretty fried from this season, the playoffs are beginning. The great Emma Span previews the strengths and weaknesses of every team still alive in the quest to win the World Series. (Emma Span; Sports on Earth)